Holland America Line Marks One Year Back at Sea

On July 24, Holland America Line officially celebrated one year back at sea following its pause for the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nieuw Amsterdam was the first ship back for Holland America, as it resumed Alaska cruises on July 24, 2021 from Seattle. This year, the ship marked its one-year milestone with a celebration in Whitter. 

"The emotions and excitement from a year ago still resonate today as destinations around the world open and we persist in fully getting back to cruising," said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. "We are grateful to our guests who returned to sail with us, to our team members who came back to sea, to the ports that welcomed us, to our partners who stood by us and to all of our shoreside employees who got us back in the water. Over the past year we have operated more than 240 cruises, and we look forward to continuing to offer more memorable vacations."

Over the past year, Holland America brought its ten cruise ships back to ports in Alaska, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Mediterranean, Mexico, Northern Europe, Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, and the South Pacific. Before the end of the year, the line will return to Australia/New Zealand as well as South America/Antarctica.

Following are the dates when each vessel returned: Eurodam, Aug. 15, 2021; Koningsdam, Oct. 10, 2021; Rotterdam, Oct. 20, 2021; Nieuw Statendam, Nov. 21, 2021; Zuiderdam, Dec. 23, 2021; Noordam, April 24, 2022; Oosterdam, May 8, 2022; Zaandam, May 12, 2022; and Westerdam, June 12, 2022.

Since early April, Volendam has housed Ukrainian refugees in Rotterdam. Come September 24, the ship will go back into service sailing from Italy. 

In conjunction with their milestone, Holland America released a special list of fun facts and figures it has reached in the past year: 

• Cruises Sailed: 242
• Ports Visited: 169
• Nautical Miles Sailed: 502,565 (577,950 miles) - enough to travel to the moon and back two-and-a-half times!
• Glacier Visits in Alaska: 122
• Total Crew Members: 12,287 (98 different nationalities)
• Shore Excursions Operated: Over 2,000
• Meals served: more than 6,500,000
• Specialty Coffee Served: 700,000
• Beers Consumed: 1,117,306
• Trivia Questions Asked: 76,000
• Floral Arrangements Onboard: Over 60,000 fleetwide 
• Soda, Water, and Juice Consumer: 3,235,855 beverages
• Entertainment: More than 25,000 performances
• Funds Raised for On Deck for a Cause: $210,000

Want to sail with Holland America this year? Explore Deals on All Sailings

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